Becoming
by softfrog
Summary: Will Edward be granted his deepest desire?


This is my first fanfic, just a story fragment really. I may write the pre-ceding chapter if this goes down well.

Not my characters, just my imagination.

...

Jacob looked up in surprise as his bedroom door swung slowly open. It was a moment before Edward's face appeared hesitantly around the door, hair rumpled, expression slightly dazed.

"Edward. What are you doing…you can't be here."

Edward came into the room and gently clicked the door closed, leant against it. Raising eyes filled with confusion to Jacob's face he stammered out: "I don't know, I don't….Jacob, I can't stop thinking about you. Your smell, your taste. What happened, what did you do to me?"

Jacob looked away before replying with resignation. He had known leaving Edward in his father's care would not be the end of it.

"Ah, Edward, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean, sorry for what?"

"Out in the woods…you were going to die. She poisoned you. You needed clean blood. You couldn't take Bella's, you would have killed her. I had to give you my blood…"

"Werewolves are immune to vampire venom," Edward said, remembering early lessons from Carlisle, trying to understand. His voice turned frantic again: "But why am I so cold, for the first time in a century I feel cold. My breath, my heart…I can feel my heart beating!"

He tried to search Jacob's mind for the answer, certain it lay there. But his focus kept slipping, unable to grasp the train of Jacob's thoughts. The smell of Jacob, so close, so warm, in this tiny room distracted him and filled his other senses like so much cotton wool. He half reached out, but instead sank to sit on the edge of the bed, as though his legs could no longer support him. Counting his heartbeats in the silence as Jacob tried to find the words to explain.

"There is a story, among my people," Jacob began softly, looking down at his hands clasped in his lap, avoiding Edward's questioning gaze. "A story about a werewolf and a vampire who fell in love. To protect the people of the town from being hunted the werewolf allowed the vampire to feed on him, and the vampire was…changed. His heart began to beat, his flesh became soft and warm. He became human once more."

Jacob paused - the look of growing alarm on Edward's face did not bode well for his reaction to what was to come. He tried to diffuse the situation with a laugh, but it came out as a strangled half-chuckle.

"The story doesn't end well – the vampire-turned-human ends up outing the werewolf and rounding up the townsfolk to kill the monster. One of our less-subtle ways of teaching kids about the self-righteousness and fickleness of vampires."

Edward's face still held nothing but confusion. Why was Jacob telling him stories? Was this true, was it possible?

"Am I becoming human?"

Jacob sighed and dropped his gaze. "No, Edward, your humanity was lost for good, long ago." He missed the flare of hope and fear that had crossed Edward's features.

"But you can become something different, not quite vampire and not quite human. Something warm and breathing, something alive."

Jacob was studying Edward's face now, trying to gauge his reaction to what he was revealing. To lose the power, the immortality, the lust of being a vampire…how would any vampire respond?

"I can…?" Edward left the question hanging, too afraid of vocalising his hopes to continue. He tried a different approach.

"Am I still immortal?"

That's the crunch, thought Jacob. Could he seriously expect anyone to give that up?

"You don't need to worry," he said with a trace of bitterness, "You'd need to drink more werewolf blood than you've had. The effects will wear off in a while and you'll be back to your elevated status as the living dead."

Edward spoke slowly, as though not believing his own words. "I would need to drain you, to kill you?"

This time the chuckle died before leaving Jacob's throat. The calculating look in Edward's eyes sent a thrill of fear through him. "No, you don't need much, you just need it often, else the effects wear off."

"So if I killed you…"

"…no more heartbeat." Jacob finished with a relieved grin, which quickly vanished at the sight of Edward's stricken face.

"What, what is it?"

Edward hunched over clutching his knees to his chest as though in pain. He turned his face away but there was no disguising the anguish in his voice.

"I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can listen to my heart stop a second time."

Jacob sat back in stunned silence. Was Edward serious? His mind raced as the realisation dawned that what he dreamed, fantasised about, might possibly come true. He moved closer to Edward, reached out to touch his hand.

"You don't have to," he said softly.

At first Edward didn't respond. Then he slowly lifted his head and turned to Jacob. Unable to believe what he'd just heard, he finally tuned to Jacob's thoughts and read the truth of his words there. His eyes grew wide in amazement.

"You'd do that, you'd do that for me? But why?"

Jacob reached up to stroke his cheek, softly tracing the line of his jaw.

"Because you will become what you were always meant to be."

"What _will_ I become?" Edward begged. Jacob cupped the nape of Edward's neck, then twined his fingers into the vampire's dishevelled hair and gripped fast. His expression turned fierce, joyful, and his next word came out in a triumphant growl.

"Mine!"

Edward closed his eyes, the warmth of Jacob's hand on his face, his neck, the sweet spicy scent of him, the closeness of his breath becoming overwhelming. He arched his spine and threw his head back. The promise Jacob offered was too much to take in. Confusion and elation warred in his mind but were overtaken by his rising instinct for blood. He wanted what Jacob offered so badly, had ached for it since the day he was turned. Fighting for control he moaned: "I want you Jacob."

Jacob leaned back, opened his hands wide, inviting Edward in. "Then take me," he said softly.

Edward's eyes flashed open, black beneath his downcast lashes. Jacob had never seen him so powerful, so breathtakingly beautiful. A predator ready for the kill. Without warning he pounced, throwing them both back onto the bed. His hands pinned Jacob's wrists above his head like steel manacles. He buried his face in Jacob's neck but then paused, cold lips poised just below Jacob's jawline. They lay frozen for several heartbeats, the only movement their heavy breathing and the tremors coursing through Jacob's body.

"Do it Edward," he whispered.

Slowly Edward parted his lips and Jacob trembled in anticipation. The bite, when it came, was vicious, agonizing, but Edward held him in a vice grip. He felt the life being sucked out of him, felt Edward swallow once, twice, three times. Then, fighting for control, Edward withdrew his teeth and slowly raised his head to look at Jacob. His eyes were still black, his gaze wild, as he muttered through bared teeth "I don't want to kill you."

Jacob whispered back, in the calm beyond the pain. "Drink your fill Edward, I was made for this."

Unable to stop himself, Edward lowered his head again. The wound was already closing, and the bite to re-open it made Jacob arch his body and cry out in renewed pain. But Edward's feeding quickly slowed, the warm spicy blood coursing through his body like fine liquor. His hands loosened their grip on Jacob's wrists and their fingers intertwined. Drowsily he nuzzled Jacob's neck, licking a few drops of spilled blood from the almost-healed wound. He rolled off Jacob, eyes closed, and rested his head on Jacob's arm, nestled next to his body. Slipping in and out of a daze, a smile played across his lips like sunlight through leaves. Eventually he sighed, reached an arm across Jacob's chest and opened his eyes.

Jacob was lying on his back, eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his boyish face. Edward stared in horror and gave a strangled shout "No, Jacob , no!"

Jacob opened his eyes and turned towards him, grinning. "It's OK," he said. "I'm a big boy. It'll take more than those few drops to finish me off."

Edward collapsed back in relief. Then his gaze became serious. "I'm sorry I had to cause you pain", he whispered.

Jacob smiled wickedly in reply. "Oh there will be retribution for that. It's my turn to taste you now."

Edward froze as the larger boy rolled over and pinned him to the bed. But the hands caressing his body were gentle and he closed his eyes as Jacob bent down and softly kissed his lips.

"Are you sure you want this?" Jacob whispered.

The only response he got was a groan of pleasure as Edward's lips parted to his questing tongue.

...

Thanks for reading!


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